The weather is going to be much better than expected. A little cold in the morning but warming up nicely throughout the day.

This Festival is an opportunity for many to try Tri-Rail for the first time. Ditch the car; the Festival will have a shuttle to pick you up. Also, you can avoid entirely parking in downtown Lake Worth by going to Palm Beach State College; a Festival shuttle will stop there also. I will be a host on the shuttle later in the day on Saturday.

Today Margaret Menge dropped her latest free 'newspaper' in select neighborhoods in the City. If you don't get distracted by the big headlines and fluff, guess what's missing? One of the most important City events of the entire year:

Mayor Pam Triolo's State of the City Address on Tuesday, February 24th. Margaret Menge didn't mention the State of the City Address by Mayor Pam Triolo, not one single time.

Lake Worth's true community newspaper, The Lake Worth Herald, of course had this event publicized.

Below is the content publicizing Mayor Pam Triolo's State of City Address this coming Tuesday, February 24th from our City's only real community newspaper: The Lake Worth Herald; important news that Margaret Menge doesn't want her readers to know about:

A reader of my blog sent me this about commercial real estate in our little City. A Lake Worth realtor, Charles Andrews, wrote this in the Tribune about commercial real estate in Lake Worth versus Delray Beach:

When it comes to real estate, Delray Beach has already experienced its large upside and gains. Lake Worth is poised for better upside than Delray Beach. In short—Lake Worth has better deals. Commercial space goes for $55 a square foot on Atlantic Avenue in downtown Delray. You have to sell a lot of ice cream, hot dogs or smoothies to stay in business at that rate. This has pushed out the majority of mom and pop stores. I even heard that they may not renew the lease for the local diner "The Green Owl." Come on. That eradicates all the charm. In Lake Worth, commercial space on Lake Avenue goes for about $15-$25 a square foot, according to local commercial broker Bob D'Arinzo. I just got a call from a Mediterranean restaurant that wants to open up their second location in Lake Worth because it's affordable. And Lake Avenue has a vibe that businesses are excited to get a taste of.

There you have it. Whether you're looking for an apartment, condo, townhome, or home, looking for a business location? Lake Worth, Florida, is the place to be.

Thank you, Charles Andrews, for doing your part to make our little City of Lake Worth achieve its potential.

LAKE WORTH, FLORIDA - Compass Community Center of Lake Worth, FL Is Proud to be Presenting the 6th Annual “Taste of Lake Worth”,TONIGHT From 6:00 – 9:00 PM The evening event highlights the restaurants and businesses of Lake Worth and serves as a kick off to the fabulous 21st Annual Lake Worth “Street Painting Festival”. The streets will be closed down in preparations for that event and diners will be able to leisurely stroll through the lovely Downtown as excitement builds for the weekend’s big event. Also on Friday night, the City of Lake Worth will once again host “Evening on the Avenues” in the Cultural Plaza with live music, art and craft vendors and much more.

Participants of the “Taste of Lake Worth” can expect to enjoy food and drinks provided by more than twenty downtown restaurants with the advance purchase of a $20 ticket from Compass Community Center.

Tickets can be purchased at: Compass Community Center (or purchase tickets the day of the event for $25.)

Located at: 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth or on-line at: www.compassglcc.com Tickets are limited! Guests will check-in on the night of the event for an identifying wristband and a map of all the participating restaurants. Wristband and Map will be located at: The corner of Lucerne Avenue and J Street (by the Post Office).

Six days later, Chris Joseph at the New Times, in a piece staying true to the facts and avoiding hyperbole, wrote this story about the latest big news from PBSO. From the article:

Thirty eight gang members from the Latin Kings, Top 6, and Sur-13 have been federally indicted following a 16-month investigation, the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office announced Thursday. The massive operation, dubbed Operation Check Mate, began in August 2013, and was set up to disrupt and dismantle the narcotics trafficking by the Latin Kings, the PBSO says. The operation involved 30 detectives and agents and also included 300 officers from the FBI, PBSO and BSO. Through the operation, 42 people were indicted, with 38 currently in custody. One suspect was found in Boston, while another was nabbed in Fort Pierce. The rest were found and arrested in Palm Beach County.

The New Times is an excellent source for entertainment content. However, if you're looking to get educated on issues like a recent mayoral election in Ft. Lauderdale, for example, you'll see why a responsible citizen would seek the facts elsewhere.

Last Tuesday night (2/17), the City of Lake Worth City Commission, educated and informed by Commissioner John Szerdi, voted to invite the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) into our charming little City. All the USGBC asks in return are 2 small work stations and access to WiFi. The visibility and recognition the City of Lake Worth gets in return is incalculable.

About the USGBC:

The USGBC South Florida Chapter, a nonprofit (501[c][3]) organization that is governed entirely by volunteers who serve without recompense, has five extremely active Branches under its organizational umbrella -- the Treasure Coast Branch, Palm Beach Branch, Broward Branch, Miami-Dade Branch and Keys Branch. We have more than 6,000 dedicated Members, Friends and contacts, and would enthusiastically welcome you and your business to our Chapter family. It’s through the work of our amazing volunteers that our Chapter's education and advocacy efforts flourish. Branch activities include monthly educational programs to instructive tours of green facilities, GREENworking events, helping municipalities and school districts with their green initiatives, and sponsorship of green conferences and events. Our Branches have educated local government officials and CEOs about sustainability, brought in high-profile speakers for important conferences, worked with children and educators to teach green principles, sponsored study sessions for prospective LEED APs and GAs ... and much more.

TOB does it again. She regularly misstates the facts by cleverly pointing out, now and then, that her blog is opinion only and not fact-based. Imagine a radical-fringe version of The Onion except not funny and not even clever: that is TOB. Let's peel back the layers.

This time she stepped in it. She made a claim and then someone wrote a comment on her blog challenging her. The Lake Worth Neighborhood Association Presidents Council is a fine organization that educates the citizens of the little City of Lake Worth. Some, like TOB, don't like the citizenry to get educated; she rather the candidates and citizens stay out of the Sunshine. That's why she is attacking the NAPC and the upcoming debate.

Here is TOB's claim and the comment challenging her ridiculous assertion:

Don't hold your breath waiting for TOB to set the record straight. She never does. The NAPC has, as far back as I can remember, always had debates when it relates to candidates—not always necessarily for issues.

This picture was shared on a Facebook page called DELRAY RAW. This is a dumpster inside a fenced enclosure at a new business in Delray Beach. The power pole location seems to have been an afterthought.

Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach, told a group of mayors and other municipal officials from her district on Wednesday that she has asked Housing and Urban Development Sec. Julian Castro and officials in the Justice Department about ways to help local governments regulate sober houses without running afoul of federal law. Many cities and towns have sought to regulate sober houses but found their efforts restricted by the Americans with Disabilities Act and federal fair housing laws. Frankel said getting Congress to pass legislation would be difficult, but she’s hoping HUD and the Justice Department can at least provide “better guidance” on what code changes are allowable.

Mrs. Katie McGiveron is impolite and crude most of the time, both at city meetings and writing on The Other Blog (TOB). Most of us have become immune to it, sort of like working in a monkey house, after a while you don't smell the offensive odors any more.

Maybe to get attention, as her act is repetitive and boring, she's decided to take her act to a whole new level of vulgarity. I wasn't sure if I should even publish McGiveron's latest, but then thought it's important people know what our elected officials in the little City of Lake Worth have to deal with.

The public is invited and there is no entry fee, although baskets will be circulated through the audience for donations to the Playhouse to cover expenses for electricity, a/c, lighting and sound technicians etc. To keep a clear line of sight for everyone in the audience, no yard signs or banners may be brought in the Playhouse. Candidates have been asked to urge their supporters to hand out campaign literature outside the Playhouse and no unattended stacks of campaign literature will be allowed inside the Playhouse.

To read the entire press release go to the NAPC website. While you are at the NAPC site please look up your neighborhood association to find out more about your neighborhood association and discover who your neighborhood association officers are.

Check out Vice Mayor Maxwell's response starting around around the 8 minute mark of the video. At 8:30, he responds to Peter Timm's comments about non-ad valorem financing. At the 10 minute mark, he hits his stride talking about what led to the state of the city's infrastructure. Around 11:30 he addresses financial mismanagement by previous administrations; it is not the fault of this current Commission or city administration.

Peppers and tomatoes intended as decorations were instead at risk of becoming projectiles at a debate Tuesday over the development future of Palm Beach County's Agricultural Reserve. Tempers flared between those who want to ease building limits on agricultural land clashed with those who want to block more suburbia from spreading to the 21,000-acre, fertile farming region west of Delray Beach and Boynton Beach. At times, frustrated people stormed out and security was called in. There were calls of "B.S.!" from some in the crowd — and they didn't always abbreviate. "We really needed to come up with a middle [ground] and we are not there," development consultant Bob Bentz said. "There needs to be a solution."

Very interesting article by Andy Reid. Noteworthy is Drew Martin was not quoted in the article. As we all know his talent for compromise and finding common ground is legendary.

Note Mrs. Katie McGiveron at the 9:17 mark of the video. Her comments set up a confrontation in front of the dais during the Commission meeting break. (Note: doesn't Katie know the city's camera is still taping? There is no sound but the video continues.) More to come. Below is a picture at the beginning of the histrionics. After Katie was finished with Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell she went looking for other targets: Commissioner John Szerdi and Commissioner Andy Amoroso.

I will use the city's video of Katie's histrionics, sans audio, and publish it with a nice musical background. If anyone has suggestions please forward them to me. The Way We Were by Barbara Streisand is my first choice.

Here are the first two lines:

Memories light the corners of my mindMisty water-colored memories of the way we were

As of 10:00 this morning the city's video of last night's meeting is not available. Check back tomorrow and thank you for visiting my blog.

Important to point out that at the beginning of the this video, Vice Mayor Maxwell talks about the reasons that the next two City Commission meetings are cancelled. On March 3rd, the entire Commission is taking part in Palm Beach County Days in Tallahassee. This will allow them to interact with state legislators and talk about how the state can help us fund infrastructure projects here. The other meeting, on March 10th, is cancelled due to it being election day. Since it is a local municipal election, our own City Clerk Pam Lopez, is involved in the process. The statement was made partly in response to claims that this Commission meets more infrequently than others. It is clear that these situations are out of the Commission's control. The trip to Tallahassee will provide a public benefit to the city over the long term.

The little City of Lake Worth doesn't have a Drive In movie theater. The city of Palm Springs does. The shaded area in the map below is the city of Palm Springs and in the middle of the map you can clearly see the "Lake Worth Drive In" within the borders of Palm Springs, FL. Why do they call it the "Lake Worth Drive In"? You have to ask them but this is probably the reason: the address for the Drive In is: 3438 Lake Worth Road, Palm Springs, FL 33461.

Generally, but not always, when you see the zip code 33461 that's a clue you might want to ask someone what city you are in, or you might be in Unincorporated Palm Beach County. The Drive In has a Lake Worth mailing address and that is all it shares with our City. It is not located within the borders of the City of Lake Worth.

Here is the news report by Meghan McRoberts. From the text of the story on the Channel 5 website:

LAKE WORTH, Fla. -- The movie racy, adult-themed story line of "Fifty Shades of Grey" has gained plenty of attention. But, some young kids could also be getting an easy peak into the plot at a Lake Worth drive-in movie theater. The Lake Worth Drive-In and Swap Shop has aired the R-rated movie at the same time as it has aired the new G-rated "SpongeBob" movie numerous times.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

I [Greg Rice] need some help. Nadine [Burns] and Maryanne [Webber] have just let me know that we are going to add another shuttle bus to cut down on the wait time for our visitors coming to Lake Worth for the 21st Annual Lake Worth Street Painting Festival. If you would like to host the shuttle for a couple of hours this Saturday and/or this Sunday to welcome our guests, please contact me as soon as you can. You can email me with your contact info.: name, email/phone number with the day/time you're available to ride the shuttle and talk about how great Lake Worth is! I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. My email is gregrice33460@gmail.com. Thank You everyone for supporting us this weekend.

An American of Haitian descent, Serge Jerome Jr., is challenging Commissioner McVoy for the Lake Worth District 2 seat. Another blogger in the little City of Lake Worth ("The Other Blogger" [TOB]) has endorsed City Commissioner Christopher McVoy for re-election. That is her right. However, I have a question: Does Commissioner McVoy agree with TOB that "a large segment of black America has waged a war of violent retribution against White America"?

Look at these images taken from that 'other blog' in Lake Worth, Florida:

If that's not disturbing enough, you can read an email from Mrs. Dee McNamara about what she thinks of Mr. Serge Jerome Jr.; very unkind to say the least. Mrs. McNamara refers to Mr. Serge Jerome Jr. as "a primitive".

TOB was one of the recipients of this email from Mrs. Dee McNamara. And so were these people:

Mama Gizzi's is located at 2212 North Dixie Highway in the little City of Lake Worth, 561-642-9996. This is in the College Park neighborhood in the City. Make sure and stop by for the best pasta in the known world.

The main room at the Lake Worth Golf Course Clubhouse was full to over-flowing last night. Candidates and the moderator had to struggle with a wireless microphone that would periodically "fuzz out". About half way through it was abandoned and the candidates just spoke louder in order to be heard. More out-takes on the way. Serge Jerome, Jr. did an excellent job during his introduction and that will be the first one pulled out individually.

On December 5, 2014, I wrote this post about an article by Dan Moffett in the Coastal Star. The town of Gulf Stream was considering using the RICO Statute against a very litigious resident. They're not considering doing that any more; they've decided and they are going full speed ahead. Read here from Alexandra Clough at the Palm Beach Post:

The town of Gulf Stream is fighting back against litigious resident Martin O’Boyle by filing a lawsuit of its own: A federal class-action RICO lawsuit against the millionaire gadfly, his son and the son’s law firm. On Friday, the town filed a 49-page complaint in U.S. District Court, alleging the men engaged in a conspiracy to extort money from municipalities and other organizations. The complaint alleges that O’Boyle uses the public records process “in an abusive fashion” to file thousands of requests and numerous frivolous lawsuits. When Gulf Stream’s staff couldn’t keep up with the requests, O’Boyle filed “spurious” lawsuits or pre-suit settlement demands for an amount in excess of costs and fees. The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations lawsuit said O’Boyle and his son, Jonathan, a 2012 law school graduate, realized they could use the public records to generate profit for themselves and “extort money” from local governments.

Read the full story here. Alexandra Clough is a top-notch reporter at the Post and I'll keep you up-to-date on this story as it unfolds.

This is an actual item in a newspaper's "Crime Blotter" from a 'newspaper' in the City of Lake Worth (no, not the Lake Worth Herald ):

Child Issue: A PBSO deputy went to Highlands [sic, should be "Highland"] Elementary School after the school called about a possible abuse situation. The school reported to DCF that a child was playing with teddy bears at the school, and making them fight, and that he put one on top of the other, simulating sex, and saying "Look at what they are doing." The child reportedly is very physical and often shows aggression, and is sometimes withdrawn. The child denied the allegation, and no injuries were found on him.

The above item was found in the "LAKE WORTH CRIME BLOTTER" and I challenge everyone to identify the crime committed. Very few people research each item in a CRIME BLOTTER for accuracy. Here is another "crime" published in the CRIME BLOTTER the previous week:

Deceased Person: A woman living on the 1800 block of North N Street called police [sic, should be "PBSO"] to report that she'd found her longtime friend, Sue Ives, lying on the floor of the home, deceased. She said she'd seen Ives going into the bathroom at 1 a.m., complaining of possibly catching a cold. At 8:45 a.m. she went to check on her and found her lying on the floor of the bedroom, unresponsive. There were no signs of trauma.

Again, why are these events published in a CRIME BLOTTER when neither of these are crimes? Both were published in Margaret Menge's Lake Worth Tribune:

Its masthead claims to have "Lake Worth's Best Local Newspaper!" These "crimes" Ms. Menge publishes are misleading, a misrepresentation, and bordering on manipulation of public opinion. Certainly not what you would call community journalism at its "Best".

"Domine, ut videam" is Latin for "Lord, that I might see". It is a phrase that refers to someone's search for knowledge and understanding. Again, shouldn't this search for Truth be applied to the CRIME BLOTTER?

And lastly, the editor/publisher/reporter calls her newspaper the "Tribune". A 'Tribune' is "a person who upholds or defends the rights of the people." What exactly is Ms. Menge upholding or defending when she is clearly misrepresenting crime in our City?

Once again, the first issue of her 'newspaper' was distributed only 53 days before our Lake Worth municipal elections on March 10th. A coincidence? Any surprise who she will be endorsing on Friday, March 6th?

Monday, February 16, 2015

When you're an advocate with an agenda it's never too early to get your "endorsement" out there. Marge Mange doesn't disappoint. As expected, she comes out strong for Commissioner McVoy and his position on lead batteries. And don't forget to have your vote counted! Is McVoy a God or a Saint?

You're not going to believe this. We all know how bad the winter is up North. However, the city of Ithaca, NY (home of Cornell University) has officially surrendered to Winter and is directing their readers to head South to Key West. Not kidding. This is what you see when you go to the Visit Ithaca tourism page!

On your way down, Ithacaians, watch for signs that say "Lake Worth". Have a nice trip and don't forget that ice scraper. We use those for building sandcastles on the beach.

Also, Ithaca, New York is described as "centrally isolated" in the State of New York. Funny, we have a Lake Worth commissioner that went to Cornell University in Ithaca and he also happens to be "centrally isolated" in our city.

Here we have the "Landfill Test".* There will be continuing updates until election day on March 10. Here is a photo 20 minutes into the Landfill Test:

Note that Lake Worth City Commissioner John Szerdi's door hanger (left) is printed on stock paper with no laminate and is already in a serious state of decomposition after only 20 minutes. This door hanger sank to the bottom of the test pan and already is fraying. The door hanger was printed in the City of Lake Worth.

Now let's examine the door hanger of candidate Ryan Maier. The door hanger floats and is covered with a laminate. Despite several attempts to immerse the door hanger continues to float and is showing no signs of decay. At the top right of Mr. Maier's door hanger you can see a sheen oozing from the door hanger into the test water. A sample was taken. This flyer was not printed in the City of Lake Worth.

So, the Landfill Test in progress. Check back tomorrow for the test in progress.

*The Landfill Test explained: The Landfill Test is used to determine the likely environmental impact from a door hanger. A Green door hanger will decompose quickly while a polluting door hanger will clutter up landfill space and contains damaging chemicals that harm birds and obstruct the movement of mammals such as the Gopher Tortoise. The Landfill Test is conducted using a 11 by 15 inch metal oven pan, preferably Betty Crocker. The pan is 1 inch in depth. The water is City of Lake Worth tap water drawn and left in the air for 24 hours for all chlorine to dissipate. The subject door hangers were placed in the pan at the same time. The pan is kept out the sun and away from any draft.

If you have never been inside the Lakeside Castle you don't know what you're missing. This is a historic home located in one of our historic districts. One of the many sparkles in the Jewell. Commissioner John Szerdi looks forward to seeing you there.

PLEASE NOTE:Due to a recent incident at an event for Lake Worth Commissioner John Szerdi we need to tweak the admittance policy for entry into the Lake Worth Castle. If you're asked to identify yourself and refuse you'll be asked to leave. Thank you.

The town may not be able—or want to—to oppose recent and future development activities in West Palm Beach, but officials have been directed to explore options. [emphasis in red] “Clearly it’s a concern, what’s going on on the other side of the bridge,” said Town Council President Michael Pucillo. “The question is, what can we do about it and how can we be helpful. I’d like to have further discussion about what we can and cannot do as a town.” Planning, Zoning and Building Director John Page was asked to fill in members of the council Wednesday on “the “magnitude” of ongoing development projects along the waterfront. He said he met with Rick Greene, his counterpart for the city, who identified 24 projects underway in the area. “Collectively, I see that those 24 downtown projects represent well over 2,000 dwelling units and over 900 hotel rooms,” Page said.

Very interesting article and I encourage everyone to read the entire article by Alese Kopf and draw your own conclusions. On an entirely different topic, the West Palm Beach municipal elections are only 23 days away, on March 10.

On Wednesday, 2/11, I posted this to my blog about political signs being stolen in the little City of Lake Worth. These two were seen stealing political signs in our downtown:

This photo was taken with a phone and posted on Facebook. Although the image quality isn't good enough to positively identify them, the politically aware in town know who they are.

There are signs in our little City being monitored. Lake Worth Commissioner John Szerdi, for example, has formed a "sign stealing" network. One of these days they'll steal the wrong one. Or try.Stealing political signs is a crime. If you see someone stealing a sign call PBSO on the non-emergency number: 561-688-3400. Then contact the campaign you support and ask for another one. If you support Commissioner John Szerdi for example, text 561-308-0364 and you'll get another ASAP.The other, more troubling issue is this: political signs are Free Speech protected by the 1st Amendment. When your sign is stolen someone is taking away your American right to express your opinion and what you believe.How many men and women have put their lives on the line to protect the rights afforded you under the Constitution of the United States? I don't know that number but do know it is a very high number of Americans.Stealing political signs is not only a crime, it's un-American.The anecdotal evidence suggests Lake Worth Commissioner John Szerdi's signs are the only signs being stolen. Something to ponder this election season in our little City of Lake Worth.

In his introduction, he talks about his first involvement in city politics and mentions he was part of a political action committee to prevent "commercial zoning" at the beach. What he doesn't tell you is that effort didn't change anything to the zoning or the land use at the beach. The same zoning and land use designation at the beach property (Beach and Casino District) on the books and in full force and effect today is the same zoning that he led the petition against. This new zoning designation was needed in order to allow ANY commercial use at the beach. The ultimate project that we see today COULD NOT HAVE BEEN ACCOMPLISHED without the zoning and land use that he protested.

What it did end up doing was, along with another lawsuit at the time regarding the length of the lease for the Greater Bay project, was to delay any action. Other than improving the pool, Greater Bay was prevented from proceeding with their development plan. In the video below, Ms. Anderson claims that Greater Bay "made a mess of our pool." That is the same pool that I will be using later today and many say that it has never been in better shape.

Ms. Anderson's comments come at a time when the city was considering settling the Greater Bay lawsuit, which she and Commissioner McVoy were against. I guess they wanted to take the chance, by spending more money on attorneys than the $900,000 the city had already spent in defense of an indefensible lawsuit against Greater Bay, that the city could face up to a $20 million judgement: payable to Greater Bay. Here is Commissioner McVoy, the only Commissioner to vote "no" on the settlement, in defense of his vote.

The moral of the story here is that the very same people who support Commissioner McVoy and candidate Ryan Maier are the same ones that opened the door to spurious legal entanglements that this Commission is only now emerging from.

When all was said and done, the Greater Bay lawsuit cost the city $1.4 million to settle and nearly $1 million to defend. Far from being the White Knight that saved the city from commercialization of the beach, Commissioner McVoy was part of the group that wanted to take a chance (a gamble!) on a $20 million+ jury judgement in the matter. That was your taxpayer money at risk.

He also mentions his time on the Planning & Zoning Board. That period consisted of a total of three meetings that he attended before he resigned to run for a Cara Jennings' seat on the Commission. He was, and is, still supported by Cara and Company.

In Haiti, anti-goverment [sic] protests have rocked the island nation over the past two months as thousands of people have taken to the streets over a wide range of issues, including delayed elections and high fuel prices. Often, Haitian police have fired tear gas to suppress the crowds, which gives the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office a direct link to the unrest in Haiti, because it donated some of the gas masks police wear [in 2010]when firing tear gas on protesters.

See now how journalism works at the New Times? This is a propaganda tactic called Affirming the Consequent.It works like this:

3. Therefore PBSO is engaged in the suppression of the Haitian people.

See how easy that is? This is the kind of "yellow journalism" the little City of Lake Worth has to put up with every election cycle. Make no mistake, this article by Ray Downs is specifically written to help a certain Lake Worth Commissioner and another Lake Worth candidate. No doubt about it. Should I name them?

Here is how Ray Downs ends his ridiculous article:

It's unclear how much crowd control gear PBSO has donated to the Haitian police force. PBSO did not comment on the volunteer effort.

Meanwhile, the tense situation in Haiti is expected to continue.

Amazing, how did this get article get past the news editors at the New Times?

As soon as I got my free newspaper (you get what you pay for) right away saw three errors in Margaret Menge's newspaper. I haven't even gotten to page 2 yet.

Error #1: The Parrot Cove Neighborhood Association Candidates Forum IS NOT at Believer's Victory Church on Monday, 2/16. It will be held at the Beach Club/Lake Worth Municipal Golf Course, at 1 7th Ave North.